The Real Sonic: Metal Sonic's Journey
by Mr.Mixon'sFanfiction
Summary: Following the events of Shadow the Hedgehog, Metal Sonic is reprogrammed and reactivated by Eggman, but Eggman cannot suppress what lies within Metal Sonic. Metal Sonic has many questions, but he knows only one thing for sure: he must follow his directive; he must kill Sonic. Enter Metal Sonic's mind as he struggles to understand identity, purpose, and what it means to be real.
1. Part 1: Reactivation

The Real Sonic

A Sonic The Hedgehog Fan Fiction

By Myles R. Mixon Jr.

Foreword

Metal Sonic has always been one of my favorite characters in the Sonic series. At first, he was my favorite largely just because he was an awesome killer robot, and I was very much into killer robots at the time. However, he remained my favorite character once I got over that stage, so I decided to put my improved high school/college level reading comprehension skills to use and investigate Metal Sonic as a character. Once I did, I found that he is, in my opinion, actually the deepest character in the entire Sonic franchise, even deeper than Shadow, Silver, or Sonic himself. Through this story, I hope to reveal that Metal Sonic and, in fact, the entire Sonic universe can be much more meaningful than Sega has portrayed it as. The cannon for this story is Sonic The Hedgehog through Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode 2, Sonic CD, Sonic Adventure 1 and 2, Sonic Heroes, and Shadow the Hedgehog. I have also included music suggestions in brackets ex. [music suggestion], and words in italics generally represent unspoken thoughts ex. "Spoken dialogue" _Unspoken thoughts_. Also, if this story means enough to someone, I would consider it the ultimate honor if anyone were willing to make artwork, animations, or fan games based on my story. As a final note, I suggest that you too take nothing for its surface value but see what truly lies within. Disclaimer: I do not own anything but the original plot of this story; all characters and music are the property of their respective owners.

Part 1: Reactivation

Green Hill Zone: Stage 1: the place where Sonic began his first significant battle against Dr. Robotnik AKA Eggman. It was the first data Robotnik had ever programmed into Metal Sonic. It was the first thing Metal Sonic had ever seen. Green Hill Zone was laid pixel by pixel into his dormant mind. He was assembled and first activated in one of Robotnik's factories, but the simulation of Green Hill Zone was the womb in which Metal Sonic first came alive. He replayed the data of his first sight identically as he had first seen it.

Green Hill Zone was the ideal habitat for a myriad of small animals. The climate was consistently an optimal summer temperature with sunny blue skies and the occasional drifting white cloud for shade. A breeze gently pushed aside the emerald grass and flowers and carried the mist of rivers and waterfalls into the wind. It had not been long since Robotnik's first attack, but the animals still frolicked in the grass, splashed in the rivers, and basked in the sunlight. The rolling hills were intermittently separated by strange, whimsical swirling rock formations. Then, _he_ came into view, a blue blur, kicking up dust behind him, blowing aside the grass, and performing the seemingly impossible task of running around the vertical loops of swirling rocks. The animals cheered as their hero rushed by; they stretched their necks just to glimpse him. Sonic the Hedgehog, only a child at the time, was sprinting headfirst toward Robotnik's mechanical army. His eyes widened in excitement as the wind flowed through his quills. His mouth was agape in a joyful smile as he ran wild and free. He was doing the same thing as all the other animals: he was playing. To him everything that was happening was just a game.

That childish blue hedgehog was the image in which Metal Sonic was built. He was molded in the form of a hedgehog and comprised of lightweight metals. His feet were shaped and painted like Sonic's iconic red shoes. Through his torso was a miniature jet engine capable of propelling him to blinding speeds. His limbs were long and narrow, ending in sharp metal fingertips. His torso and head were a slightly darker blue than Sonic, and his skull curved back smoothly into a shape like Sonic's quills. His wide eyes were only a black screen to cover the internal systems of his optics which glowed red and focused by twisting inward and outward like the lens of a camera. A sensor like a pointed nose jutted from the center of his face, but he had no mouth with which to smile. From the moment his optics first began to glow, he had one purpose, one directive: destroy Sonic the Hedgehog.

"Metal Sonic, are you even listening to me?"

Metal Sonic glanced upward at Eggman. The Doctor had been on one of his characteristic rants about the brilliance of his latest plan. The entire speech was pointless. Metal Sonic was already familiar with the plan, and his identic memory prevented him from having any need to be reminded. Every word was nothing but Eggman spewing narcissistic nonsense.

"GO ON."

Eggman continued his rambling, but Metal Sonic continued to focus on the past. Several months after Shadow had stopped the black alien invasion following the "Heroes Incident," Eggman had rebuilt, reprogrammed, and reactivated Metal Sonic, this time with stricter obedience programming and no speech module. Only after several test missions had Metal Sonic regained the Doctor's trust and his voice with it. Since then, Eggman had behaved as if the "Heroes Incident" had never occurred. His trust was more likely in his own programming abilities than in Metal Sonic himself. They were on the Egg Carrier again, surrounded by the rest of the fleet. Eggman sat on a raised platform in the center of the cockpit, but the ship was on autopilot. Metal Sonic stood below Eggman with his arms crossed as he stared out the massive bubble-shaped window. The sky was a bright midday blue and an occasional drifting cloud passed under or beside the ship. The sunlight glanced off Metal Sonic's deep blue skull and back into the sky.

"This plan is ingenious, isn't it Metal Sonic?"

"YES, DOCTOR." _PLAN INGENUITY IRRELEVANT_.

Starring out the window, Metal Sonic remembered a day when the sky was a much deeper blue. Storm clouds rolled over the ship, and lightning flashed as Neo Metal Sonic stood atop the highest point of the Egg Carrier and beckoned the Sonic Heroes to him. Eggman cowered below him as Neo Metal Sonic held the entirety of Eggman's army and the data of the Sonic Heroes in his hands. He had gone mad with power, declaring himself the master of all living things, but he was ultimately defeated by Sonic. Metal Sonic remembered the events of that day as well as his intentions: he was going to use his power to morph all organic life into robots and establish himself as their ruler, but no matter how hard Metal Sonic thought, he could not remember why he would want to do such a thing. His directive was to destroy Sonic by any means necessary; world domination had no part in his programming. A major error must have occurred in Metal Sonic's mind; he could find no other explanation.

"OK, Metal Sonic, we're approaching Green Hill Zone. Remember, you need to find Sonic and make sure he doesn't interfere with my plans or get the chaos emerald nearby. Prepare to… Metal Sonic?"

Finding it unnecessary to listen to Eggman any longer, Metal Sonic had already begun to open the airlock. As the wind and clouds blew by ferociously, he noted the speed of the carrier, the exact atmospheric conditions, and the positioning of the battleships. He determined that he could most efficiently reach the search area by jumping from ship to ship and free-falling from the lead ship. He took two steps back, and with a running start, he launched himself into the sun. He fell through the sky, the sound of the wind deafening in his auditory nerves. He turned his optics to the first ship, locked his target, and fired his boosters at full power.

[Metal Sonic Boss Theme- Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode 2].

He blasted toward the first ship, leaving contrails behind him and quickly causing a sonic boom. At just the right trajectory, he hit the ship's deck, somewhat alarming the robot crew. He hovered over the deck, decelerating slightly to conserve power and prevent overheating. Reaching the other end, he exploded toward the next ship, tearing through a cloud along the way. He angled his flight path along the ship's side and performed a high-speed wall-run along a rounded projection of the vessel, leaving sparks in the wind behind him. He barrel-rolled off the side and dropped to the next ship just below him. He continued to rocket from ship to ship, until he reached the very front ship and grinded to a halt just at the tip of its nose.

Leaning over the edge, he scanned the geography of the land below him. He could see the entirety of Green Hill Zone with its rolling hills, sparkling rivers, and thundering waterfalls, all closed in by a bowl of mountains. From his altitude, there was no way he could locate Sonic. Already being familiar with topography of the area, he pinpointed the starting point of his patrol route: a mountain near the outer edge with a waterfall that covered the entrance to a cave running through the mountain.

Metal Sonic slid down the side of the ship and pushed off of the most lateral point. He plummeted toward the earth, his arms spread wide as he gently rotated. He noticed a flock of geese in formation as he fell. Dropping to just the right position, he briefly glanced his distorted reflection, like that of a smiling blue hedgehog, before he fired his boosters and burst through the wall of water. He spiraled 360 degrees around the cylindrical walls of the tunnel until it turned straight downwards and spat him out towards a lake hidden within the mountain. He landed hard onto a narrow rock point and quickly scanned his surroundings. Sunlight sprinkled down through multiple holes perforated through the ceiling. Several narrow rock ridges jutted out of the water from one end to the other. Metal Sonic located an exit through a large hole in the ceiling at the other end. He moved toward it.

Metal Sonic hopped along the narrow rock points and grinded on a narrow ridge that dipped below the surface of the water before reemerging a short distance ahead. When he hit the drop-off, he flew over the water, kicking it up behind him. His momentum carried him into the upward slope of the ridge which he grinded up, then hopped along more small footholds. Reaching a point directly under the exit, he launched straight upward back into the sunlight.

He spiraled toward the sky and dived back to the ground. He pulled up slightly along the curve of the mountain until he hit a ramp that shot him through the center of a loop. The sun glared off his blue metal skin. He hit the ground and continued his search at Mach speed, drifting around corners, sliding through narrow openings, and kicking up dust behind him. Metal Sonic then considered that Sonic could be in the air. Sonic and Tails were likely in the Tornado, pursuing Eggman's fleet. Metal Sonic located a tall, thin hill across a lake and redirected himself toward it. He entered full speed as he crossed the bridge over the lake. The sonic boom he created shattered the wooden planks as he crossed them. Many surprised fish were also briefly launched out of the water. Metal Sonic left a spiraling dust trail around the hill and landed precisely on top.

He scanned the horizon, zooming in and out and quickly shifting his focus as if he were flipping through a set of surveillance cameras. Still finding nothing, he blinked off his optics and stood completely still, placing all attention on his auditory receptors. After a few moments, Metal Sonic picked up the faint buzz of a propeller in the distance. He quickly reactivated his optics and snapped his head in the exact direction of the sound. He saw only a miniscule dot at first, but after magnifying the image several times, he discerned the silhouette of Sonic on the top wing.

"TARGET AQUIRED." _Hello, Sonic; I'm back._

His eyes locked firmly to his target, Metal Sonic rushed through the air to an intercept point. He tensed his artificial muscles as he braced for a long awaited impact. His trajectory was perfectly aligned to Sonic's flight path. Metal Sonic stretched out his needlelike claws and locked them in place. He overcharged his power core and spun like a drill. He closed in for the kill. Sonic's eyes turned in shock. Metal Sonic's claws were within inches of Sonic's torso.

Sonic jumped and rolled over the attack, narrowly avoiding Metal Sonic's claws. Metal Sonic stopped rotating as he passed under Sonic; first his head locked in place facing Sonic, second his torso stopped, followed by his waist and legs. He spread his arms and legs and fired his engine to stop himself. As he recognized Metal Sonic, Sonic's surprised reaction quickly shifted to the arrogant smirk he so often wore. Metal Sonic's eyes ignited with fury, reflecting off his rigid brow. Reacting nearly instantly, Sonic executed a homing attack. Metal Sonic quickly guarded himself with the black shield, deflecting the attack. After using his drill attack and the black shield back to back, Metal Sonic needed a brief moment to recover. As he cooled his systems, Metal Sonic formulated a new strategy.

Tails maneuvered the Tornado under Sonic and caught him. Though Metal Sonic and Sonic possessed near equal speed, Sonic could not maintain his speed without traction; Metal Sonic had an advantage in the air. If Metal Sonic could knock him off the Tornado and destroy it, Sonic would surely fall to his death.

"So, decided to take me up on that rematch, did ya?" Sonic said sarcastically.

"AFFIRMATIVE." Metal Sonic answered as he landed on the wing, though he knew the question was rhetorical.

"Alright! Time for round 2!"

" _ROUND 3_ ," Metal Sonic thought, remembering Stardust Speedway.

[Stardust Speedway Bad Future AM- Sonic CD].

Sonic raised his hands in fighting position and lightly bounced on his feet. Metal Sonic did not move. Sonic quickly faked with his right hand and jabbed with his left. Metal Sonic caught the fist in his hand. Sonic kicked toward Metal's shin. Metal stepped back from the kick. Sonic began a round kick with his other leg. Metal stepped forward and pulled Sonic back, reversing their positions. Having Sonic slightly off balance, Metal began his own attack. He performed several quick jabs and kicks, all of which Sonic narrowly dodged. Metal Sonic did not necessarily care if his attacks landed; he only needed to push Sonic to the edge of the wing, a task in which he was succeeding. Metal heavily swung his claws at Sonic a few times. One swipe just scratched Sonic's cheek. Seeing an opening, Sonic quickly countered with a hard punch straight to Metal's face. Metal Sonic staggered back a step. Keeping up his momentum, Sonic rapidly unleashed a flurry of blows. Instead of dodging, Metal Sonic blocked as many swings as he could, outright taking the full force of several of them. Sonic began to get cocky, as Metal suspected he would. Metal's choice to hold his ground began to pay off. As Sonic's attacks settled into a pattern, Metal deflected a punch and grabbed Sonic by the shoulders. He then put all his weight into a crushing head-butt. As his hard exoskeleton collided with Sonic's head, Metal Sonic knew he had landed the blow he needed. He followed up with a hard punch to Sonic's gut. As Sonic bent forward from the force of the blow, his head met with Metal Sonic's rising knee. Giving Sonic no chance to recover, Metal Sonic pushed him to the edge with a front kick, and as Sonic teetered on the tip of the wing, Metal Sonic knocked him completely off with a roundhouse kick.

"Sonic!" Tails cried.

Metal Sonic shifted his gaze to Tails, and their eyes met.

"Hey, get off my plane!" Tails said.

Tails rotated the Tornado in several rapid barrel rolls to throw Metal off. Metal Sonic lowered his center of gravity and sunk his claws deeply into the wing, overcoming the centrifugal force. Thoroughly dizzied, Tails stabilized the aircraft. Metal hopped off the wing onto the cockpit. He ripped off Tail's harness and chunked him out of the plane. Metal Sonic then dived off of the unmanned plane and hovered in the air. He locked his target, charged his core laser, and fired the beam directly through the fuel tank, completely obliterating the Tornado. He looked back and saw Tails floating toward the ground, using his twin tails as rotor blades. Tails was heading to where Sonic had fallen, in a lake. Metal Sonic had kept track of Sonic the entire time, and his eyes burned intensely when he saw Sonic still alive. As he let out a metallic growl, Metal Sonic heard the static of his internal radio.

"Excellent work, Metal Sonic!" Eggman shouted. "Without the Tornado, they won't be catching up to us anytime soon. Return to the Egg Carrier, and we can start preparations for stage 2 of …"

"NEGATIVE."

"What?"

"MISSION INCOMPLETE, SONIC STILL LIVES."

"This is not part of the plan, Metal Sonic! You'll get your chance at Sonic later, but doing it now would jeopardize the entire operation! Now do as I say, and get back here right this in-*static*"

"INTERNAL RADIO DISABLED, RESUMING MISSION."

Like a hawk, Metal Sonic eyed his target. Tails was lifting Sonic out the lake.

"SONIC DIES TODAY!"

Metal Sonic rocketed toward Sonic and Tails. Tails would continue to be a nuisance; no one could be allowed to stand between Metal Sonic and his target.

"SECONDARY TARGET LOCKED."

At full speed, Metal Sonic bashed Tails with a homing attack. Tails hit the ground hard and bounced. Still dazed, Sonic watched helplessly. Metal Sonic slid under Tails and kicked him into the air. He hit Tails even higher with a corkscrew uppercut and continued the combo with a barrage of punches and kicks as Tails fell, ending the barrage by nailing Tails to the ground with a spinning heel drop. Tails then made the critical error of trying to get back up.

"Tails, no!" Sonic cried.

"STAY DOWN!"

Metal Sonic rose into the air and dropped back down with a devastating power stomp, utterly crushing Tails. Tails could not have moved if he were still conscious.

"SECONDARY TARGET NEUTRALIZED."

"Stop!" Sonic screamed. "Leave my friend alone!"

Sonic was moving slowly, an indication that Metal had seriously hurt him already.

"If it's me you want, then come get me! 'Cause we both know I'm not gonna sit here while you hurt my friends!"

"CHALLENGE ACCEPTED."

[Boss 5 (Sonic vs. Shadow 2) For True Story- Everett Bradley-Sonic Adventure 2]

Sonic and Metal Sonic both began to rev up spin dashes like tires doing burnouts. They shot toward each other like bullets, briefly ricocheted off each other, and collided once more, grinding against each other like buzz saws. They bounced back again, having run out of momentum. Back on their feet, they charged at each other again. Their foreheads crashed together and their eyes locked. Sonic began to push Metal back. Sonic's smirk began to rise up his face again. Metal Sonic's eyes twisted inward and glowed hotly; they were the only part of his face expressive enough to attempt to show his frustration.

"ENGAGE OVERDRIVE."

A massive surge of energy pulsed through Metal Sonic, enveloping him in a pinkish aura. As soon as he engaged the overdrive, Metal began to overwhelm Sonic. He pushed Sonic back, got underneath him, and hit him into the air with a jumping attack. Metal smacked him back to the ground with a homing attack and used his momentum to immediately begin a spin dash as he touched the ground; he smashed into Sonic like a cannonball. Metal Sonic grinded to a halt as Sonic skidded along the ground. Sparking, Metal Sonic dropped to one knee and clutched his stomach. He was massively overheated from using the overdrive; he could not stand back up.

Sonic, beaten and scratched, did not hesitate to bounce back to his feet. He rushed Metal Sonic and bashed into him at full speed. As Metal Sonic stood up, he saw Sonic drifting to make a U-turn for another attack. Metal Sonic readied himself. As Sonic drew near, Metal Sonic jumped. Expecting that Metal would dodge by jumping, Sonic used a jump attack as well. The collision knocked Metal Sonic back, but he maintained his poise, turned around, and rapidly accelerated, forcing Sonic to chase him. Metal partially charged his core laser and fired it while turning to face Sonic. Sonic narrowly side-stepped the beam and hit Metal Sonic with a quick homing attack. Metal Sonic landed on his hands and pushed back off the grass to maintain his momentum.

They approached a large loop. As Sonic climbed the slope, Metal Sonic flew to the center. When Sonic reached the highest point of the loop, he launched down toward Metal. They clashed and stayed suspended in the air for a moment. Metal Sonic could see that Sonic's eyes were more serious than usual.

" _He's starting to feel the pressure_ ," Metal Sonic thought.

They clashed together with homing attacks over and over, creating an apparent lightning storm of flashing light and dark blue. They clashed in the center of the loop, around both sides, and over the top. They finally relented for a brief second and landed on top of the loop. They charged at each other again and locked arms in a wrestling position. Metal Sonic released a strong charge of electricity throughout his body, electrocuting Sonic. Metal then took a step back and fired his core laser at a low charge, blowing Sonic off the loop. The fall itself would have finished the average person, but Sonic was extremely resilient. Metal Sonic dived backwards off the loop and went the full vertical 360 of the loop at blinding speed. Just before Sonic touched the ground, Metal Sonic crashed into him like a missile. Completing his punch, Metal launched Sonic into the distance. A dust cloud arose where Sonic skidded along the ground. Metal Sonic marched toward it. Sonic emerged from the settling dust cloud. He walked shakily over the lightly blood stained grass. He was clearly hurting.

"YOUR CONTINUED RESISTANCE IS ILLOGICAL; IT WILL ONLY PROLONG YOUR SUFFERING."

"So what? I'm not gonna give up just 'cause I'm in pain, because, unlike you, when I hurt, it just lets me know I'm still alive!" Sonic replied, smiling widely even as blood dripped from his busted lip.

Metal Sonic's face remained cold, rigid, and expressionless.

"THAT WILL CHANGE SOON."

Metal charged at Sonic and readied his claw to slash him.

"That's enough, Metal Sonic!" Eggman's voice suddenly blared.

A giant robotic hand grabbed Metal Sonic from behind. A large flying mech with Eggman's face projected on a screen clutched Metal Sonic. He pushed desperately against the hand restraining him. Just as the hand began to budge, it electrocuted Metal Sonic, immobilizing him. Eggman proceeded to banter with Sonic and mostly ignore Metal Sonic.

"Hello again, Sonic," Eggman said condescendingly.

"Well, if it isn't Eggman. I should've known you would come to crash the party."

"The only person who's going to be partying is me once I take over the world and build Eggmanland! In fact, I think I'll include a dance club just to celebrate my victory over you!"

"Oh, man! Now I really have to stop you; you taking over the world _and_ dancing is something I don't even want to think about," Sonic retorted sarcastically.

"Why you obnoxious little rodent, my plan is perfect this time; you don't stand a chance!"

With great annoyance, Metal Sonic listened to their foolish banter. He began to question how such sworn enemies could argue like children. Slowly, Metal Sonic began to realize that the relationship between Sonic and Eggman was not as he had thought. They were not so much enemies as they were rivals. In fact, in some strange way, they had become friends, only with opposing views. As that epiphany crossed his mind, another realization struck him, a realization that greatly disturbed him.

" _Eggman isn't willing to kill Sonic._ "

Suddenly, everything seemed wrong. Eggman, the very man who had given Metal Sonic the directive to destroy Sonic, was willfully preventing Metal Sonic from doing so. Many of the idiotic mistakes Eggman had made in the past may have been intentional. Metal Sonic felt that he was caught in a conspiracy to keep him from accomplishing the very purpose for which he was created. All his life, Metal Sonic had had a sense of unfairness that was now stronger than ever. The validity of his very existence came into question once again. As the world spiraled around him, Metal Sonic knew that he had to make things right, and he knew only one way to give his existence purpose.

"I WILL DESTROY YOU SONIC! NO MATTER WHAT IT TAKES, I WILL DESTROY YOU!"

Eggman's mech squeezed Metal Sonic harder.

"If you'll excuse us Sonic, Metal Sonic and I are going to have a talk."

The mech took off back toward the fleet.

"OK then. See ya later, terminator!" Sonic taunted.

Metal Sonic briefly glanced at Eggman's picture on the screen then bashed his head against the mech's knuckle. When they reached the carrier, Eggman had the mech throw Metal Sonic in a cell. Eggman stood by the door and scolded Metal Sonic.

"We need to get something straight right now: I am in charge here! And you will follow my plan and my orders! Is that understood Metal Sonic?"

Metal Sonic did not respond.

"Metal Sonic, don't make me reprogram you again!"

"YES, DOCTOR."

"Good, now stay in here and think about what you've done."

Eggman slammed the door and walked away. Metal Sonic turned and faced the iron wall. Involuntarily, he punched the wall hard enough to break a hand of flesh and bone. Surprised, he turned around and leaned against the wall. Looking at the floor, he crossed his arms, and, slowly, he began to tap his foot. In the sterile lighting of the room, the wall vaguely reflected against Metal Sonic's back the image of a childish blue hedgehog trapped in an expressionless metal prison.

Clank… clank… clank… clank…

To be continued…

16


	2. Part 2: Toy Soldiers

Part 2: Toy Soldiers

Sonic stood atop a hill, stretched his arms widely, and yawned. The morning sun, just peeking over the horizon, shone vibrantly on his youthful smile. Sonic was not much of a morning person, but this morning was perfect for a nice run. He stretched his right leg, then his left; he touched his toes and stretched his back. He took his first step and accelerated casually until he reached a steady jog, actually faster than the average person's sprint.

The breeze passed gently through his quills, pushed aside the grass softly and carried the orange tinted clouds caressingly. Sonic spotted Tails lying on his back with his hands behind his head watching the clouds. Sonic waved to Tails who quickly sprang to his feet to join his best friend. They ran along in the wind until they reached Amy's house. Sonic stopped Tails and put his finger to his lips. Tails nodded in agreement. They tiptoed across Amy's lawn, hoping not to wake her up. The front door burst open as Amy screamed in excitement. Sonic yelped and ran away as Tails struggled to keep up. Seeing they were clear of Amy, Sonic relaxed and slowed down some. Knuckles came gliding in alongside them and lightly jerked his head up in a friendly gesture.

The three friends ran along, delighting in nature, friendship, and youth. Suddenly, Sonic saw a figure standing in the road. He skidded to a halt just in front of the figure and, to his surprise, found that it looked exactly like himself!

"What the… hey, who are you?!" Sonic exclaimed.

"I'm Sonic, Sonic the Hedgehog!" the figure replied, pointing to himself.

"You hit your head or somethin'? I'm Sonic the Hedgehog!"

"What? No, I'm Sonic, so who the heck are you?"

"Listen, buddy, _I am Sonic_ , and I've got friends to prove it! Isn't that right Tails… Tails?"

Receiving no response, Sonic turned around to find himself alone.

"Tails? Knuckles? Amy? Anyone?"

Confused, Sonic turned around again and saw all of his friends standing by the other Sonic.

"Wha… Guys, what are you…"

"… and I've got friends to prove it!" the other Sonic repeated.

"I… I don't get it."

Suddenly, the ground shook and became covered in green numbers. The numbers rose and took the form of buildings, smokestacks, and huge vats of chemicals. Then, the numbers disappeared, leaving behind real buildings, smokestacks, and chemical vats; and the ground became a metal walkway. Smog spewed from the smokestacks and blotted out the sun. Sonic spun around and saw Eggman sitting in his Egg Mobile.

"Dr. Robotnik, what have you done?" Sonic shouted.

"You should know!" the other Sonic shouted, pointing his finger, "You're just another one of his pawns, after all!"

Sonic looked at his hands. They became covered in green gridlines, and his white gloves disappeared, revealing sharp robotic claws. The gridlines covered his whole body and began to uncover metallic feet, bolts through his joints, and an engine in his torso.

"But… but I thought…" Sonic stammered as he collapsed onto his hard metal knees.

Sonic covered his face in his arms and ran his hands down his blue metal skull.

"No! I am Sonic; I know I am!"

He looked up with his red camera eyes, and as a metal plate was clasped over his mouth, Metal Sonic screamed,

"GIVE ME BACK MY IDENTITY!"

Grasping for what he thought he know, he slashed at Sonic, and the dream was over.

Metal Sonic's eyes blinked on wide and out of focus. He lay paralyzed for a moment, unable to determine what he should do. As his vision came back into focus, he brought his hand to his face; it was just as he had seen it. He feebly closed his hand and sat up on his charging station. Trying to relax, he pulled up his left knee and put his left arm over it, but he could not stop trembling. He pulled up his right knee as well and curled into fetal position.

He was not so much afraid as he was intensely confused. He could not understand what was happening inside of him. He knew how he had felt, but he could not comprehend feeling at all or how he had even dreamed. Nothing made sense!

" _Something is very wrong with me; there must be an anomaly in my systems. I should notify the doctor immediately_."

Metal Sonic, surrounded by blinking lights, rose from his flat bed and planted his feet on the floor. Thunder pealed; the Egg Carrier was going through a storm. He went in search of Eggman; exiting his charging station, he passed through the automatic door and came into the huge area where all the other robot charging stations were located. The robots were sleeping in their individual cells which were stacked on top of, beside, and across from each other. Aside from a few robots on the night shift, Metal Sonic alone was awake.

He walked through the charging stations and down the dimly lit halls. Like a child seeking a parent after a nightmare, he walked slowly and quietly and kept a hand to the wall at all times. As he passed a window, lightning dashed through the clouds and thunder roared. Feeling as if the lighting had struck him, Metal Sonic stumbled and hit his head against the wall. A burning sensation rose in his chest. The feeling seemed to him both entirely new and strangely familiar.

" _The anomaly is affecting my brain. If I don't reach Robotnik soon…_ "

As the Doctor's name passed through Metal Sonic's mind, he involuntarily clenched his fist. He replayed the data of the past day's events quickly, and he detected something he had not seen before. Watching his interactions with Eggman, Metal Sonic picked up traces of his burning anomaly. With no definite reason to justify the decision, he immediately decided not to see the doctor.

Metal Sonic looked out the window as lightning flashed again. The thunder beckoned to him; something pulled him to the deep, dark blue of the stormy night sky. He made his way to the deck and opened the hatch. He gaze was immediately drawn to the highest point of the ship: a towering mast partially obscured by the dark clouds. Led by a ghost in the wind, he moved toward it and climbed all the way to the top. Then he recognized where he was. He replayed the data without hesitation.

"ALL LIVING THINGS, KNEEL BEFORE YOUR MASTER!" he had said as he transformed into Metal Madness.

He picked up his anomaly much more strongly in this memory. It burned painfully and corroded his insides. He stopped playing back the data immediately; he could not stand the pain. Metal Sonic had found answers in that memory. He knew why he had caused the "Heroes Incident," why he wanted to make the world like him; it was the same anomaly, and it burned most when he knew he was alone.

Metal Sonic never wanted to become what he was on that day again; he never wanted to experience that pain again. However, he knew that there was only one way he could have forgotten about his anomaly: the doctor had tampered with his memory. Metal Sonic knew what had happened to Shadow when Dr. Gerald had altered Shadow's memories: he nearly broke his promise to Maria. Shadow nearly failed his directive because of false memories; Metal Sonic would never allow the same to happen to him. The doctor could not be trusted. Metal Sonic was more determined than ever to kill Sonic. He would focus on his mission and deal with the anomaly himself.

The next morning, Metal Sonic reported to Eggman as he was expected to do. The doctor was standing with one hand on his hip and the other to his chin. He was looking over a robot's shoulder at a screen. He murmured to himself and stroked his mustache pensively. He turned and saw Metal Sonic approaching.

"Ah, Metal Sonic, excellent timing!" he said enthusiastically, "We've run into a problem; I sent a team of robots to retrieve the chaos emerald from the ancient ruins below ground, but I've lost all contact with them. This calls for a slight change of plan. I need you to get that chaos emerald while the Egg Carrier continues to the lava shelter. Once you have the emerald, report back to me. Understood, Metal Sonic?"

"YES, DOCTOR," Metal Sonic replied and immediately turned to go to the airlock.

Eggman looked as if he had been getting ready to elaborate on the importance of this job to the plan before Metal Sonic turned away.

"Uh, right then; time is of the essence!" he said instead.

Metal Sonic dived out of the airlock and rocketed toward the coordinates the doctor had given him. He decelerated and slid along the ground and stopped just as he reached his destination. The entry point was an enormous hole in the earth. Metal Sonic leaned over the low wall surrounding it and scanned into the darkness. The bottom was at the very brink of his scanning range. He vaulted over the wall and plunged into the dark. As he neared the floor, he dug his claws into the wall. The sparks caused a small flash of light before he dropped onto the floor.

Before him was a massive stone vault door that had been blown open by Eggman's robots. The architecture was very similar to the ruins Metal Sonic had passed through in Lost Labyrinth Zone. The robots that had preceded Metal Sonic seemed to have lit some of the torches, but Metal Sonic had no trouble seeing in the dark. The ruins were mostly flooded by a huge water reservoir, so Metal Sonic anticipated that he would have to do some swimming.

He had a lock on the chaos emerald's position, and he moved toward it. An ancient stone-paved road seemed to lead Metal Sonic straight to his destination, but that road was crumbling. He swiftly hovered along the broken road and jumped over the occasional pile of rubble and gap in the road until he encountered a pile of rubble he could not pass over or around, because the cave walls closed it in. However, there was a crack in the rubble, which seemed to be the fallen wall of a forgotten fortress, that Metal Sonic could squeeze through.

He turned sideways and shimmied through the crack until he reached a space open enough for him to stand straight. Directly in front of him was a doorway sealed by a stone slab. He pushed against the slab and saw that it was moveable. He gave the slab a hard kick, and it shot out the door, glanced off the side of the elevated road, and, taking other rocks with it, tumbled toward a shaky tower. The rocks were apparently enough to dislodge whatever was holding the tower up, because it began to lean toward Metal Sonic.

"WARING: ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARD DETECTED."

Metal Sonic rapidly accelerated and dashed along the road as the tower fell and smashed the road behind him. The road then proceeded to crumble like a set of dominoes pursuing Metal Sonic. As he rushed away from the destruction following him, Metal Sonic realized he was approaching another impassable wall, but a quick scan revealed a submerged passage below it.

He dived off the road and into the water. The collapsing road dunked into the water just behind him and pushed him forward with a strong current. The tunnel below the wall was iridescent with bioluminescent algae, but Metal Sonic detected no other signs of life. When the current's push subsided, he swam through the rest of the tunnel; swimming was a skill in which he greatly surpassed Sonic. Finding an exit, Metal Sonic thrust his head above the surface of the water. He climbed out of the water and found himself in a large temple-like area. More torches shone their flickering lights on hieroglyphics etched in the walls. Metal Sonic cross-referenced the markings with his database. They matched echidna tribe writing, but he could not determine what they meant.

Metal Sonic noticed a drop of oil on the floor. Looking around, he saw a trail of spilled oil leading to one of the robots Eggman had sent. It was a combat model armed with a machine gun on its left hand and a small rocket launcher on its right as well as thrusters in its back. Heavily damaged and deactivated, it sat limp on the floor with its back against the wall. There was a long gash through its abdomen and a hole punctured directly through its chest along with some dents. Several bullet casings lay on the ground nearby; the robot had clearly been in combat mode. Metal Sonic determined the cause of deactivation to be a ruptured fuel tank coupled with severe damage to the power core during combat. Continuing his investigation, Metal Sonic found the rest of the robot team slashed, stabbed, and otherwise mangled.

He was very near the chaos emerald now, and he proceeded cautiously. He walked slowly, kept his head on a swivel, and let no shadow go unchecked. Carefully he pushed open two grand doors which led into an expansive chamber. Glowing purple and rotating in place, the chaos emerald rested at the end of the room. It floated in a shrine, much like the shrine of the master emerald, as if it had been there for centuries. A straight path through the center of the room extended from the door to the shrine. The path was surrounded on both sides by statues of fully armored echidna warriors holding their swords with the tips dug into the bases on which they stood. Metal Sonic was immediately filled with the sense that he was trespassing on something sacred.

Even more carefully, he stepped down the path. His target was just in front of him, but he knew danger was lurking somewhere nearby. He heard a sound like stone shifting behind him. He snapped his head around and saw one of the statues' eyes begin to glow a pinkish color. The color began to flow through visible black lines on the armor and the statue began to move. It looked at Metal Sonic, raised its sword and stepped down from its base. The energy began to flow through the floor into the other statures one by one. Metal Sonic knew he needed to act quickly.

"THREAT DETECTED. COMBAT PROTOCOLS ENGAGED."

As the statue stepped toward him, Metal Sonic struck it with a homing attack and bounced back. The stone armor was impressively adamant but not beyond Metal Sonic's destructive capacity. The ancient guardian swung its sword and punched at Metal Sonic with its spiked knuckle. Metal avoided the sword and dashed under the punch. As the guardian's fist hit the ground, Metal Sonic swept its leg, bringing it to one knee and flawlessly transitioned into a handstand. He rotated his hips 360 degrees and struck the guardian's head with the back of his heel, nearly spinning its head completely backwards. He jumped and punched the statue hard enough to lay it flat on the ground. As the other guardians rose to challenge him, Metal Sonic power stomped his current opponent and cracked the stone. Another guardian swung at Metal Sonic, but Metal hopped back and hovered.

He identified a core power source in the center of every guardian's chest; the core was his target. The guardian that had swung at him raised its sword and became enveloped in a pinkish aura just like the one that surrounded Metal Sonic when he used his overdrive. The guardian swung its blade, unleashing a wave of energy toward Metal Sonic. He dodged under the wave and saw the other guardians preparing the same attack. He dashed along the side of the room as the blades of energy cut closely behind him. At the end of the room he jumped off the wall and stepped off the top of the shrine. He then chained nine consecutive homing attacks before his tenth target preemptively punched at him. Metal Sonic spread his legs and leapfrogged over the spiked fist. As Metal landed, the eleventh guardian thrust its sword downwards. Metal did a backwards handspring and immediately charged a spin dash at the sword stuck into the ground. Narrowly avoiding another strike from behind, he used the sword as a ramp to strike the guardian's face and launch himself into the air. At the end of the line was the guardian Metal had already damaged. He determined he could finish it. Metal Sonic drill-dashed straight through its chest and landed with the power core in hand. The statue dropped to its knees and crumbled. Metal Sonic scanned the object in his hand.

" _EXTERNAL POWER SOURCE DETECTED_."

It was a small round stone that glowed pink and pulsed with immense power. It was almost exactly like the artifact he had absorbed in Lost Labyrinth Zone. Absorbing the power core would allow him to temporarily enter overdrive without the risk of overheating.

[Departure- Megaman Zero 2]

11 hostiles remained. They charged at Metal Sonic. He crushed the orb in his hand and drained its energy. The overdrive aura enveloped him.

"LET'S GO."

One of the guardians chopped downward at Metal Sonic. He caught the blade between his hands and pushed it aside. He then rapidly delivered several devastating punches to its chest until he thrust his hand inside of it, tore out the power source, and absorbed it.

" _10 TARGETS REMAINING_."

Three more guardians began a joint attack on Metal Sonic. They all struck at once, but Metal Sonic deflected their attacks with the black shield. He smashed into each enemy then flipped behind the one on his right. He fired his core laser and sent the guardian that was on his right flying into the one that was on his left. The statue that was in front recovered and swept sideways at him. Metal hopped over the blade and struck the guardian's right shin. He then broke its sword arm with an uppercut to the elbow and snatched the blade from its hand. He performed a spinning backhand slash to chop off its head, charged the blade with overdrive energy, and brought it down to cut the guardian in half while simultaneously releasing an energy wave which severed another statue's blade arm at the shoulder. He also quickly grabbed and absorbed the power source as it dropped from the left side of the statue.

More guardians came to attack Metal and one swung its sword. Metal rolled to the side and lined up the statue with the one whose arm he had severed. He fired his boosters at full power and rammed the sword through both of them. Their power cores both rested on the tip of the blade, and Metal Sonic absorbed them both. Seeing the two guardians he had blasted with his core laser rush at him, Metal Sonic charged a ball of energy in each hand. He threw the balls of energy at their feet, creating energy waves that destroyed their legs. As other guardians fired off more energy blades at him, Metal Sonic spin-dashed to his crippled targets. Transitioning from his ball form to a forward handspring, he kicked one of the legless statues into the air and tore out its core as it landed. The other statue he drill-dashed through as he had done with his first kill.

 _"5 TARGETS REMAINING_."

Two more guardians charged Metal Sonic while the other three continued to fire off waves of energy. Metal Sonic maneuvered through the blades and stopped in front of a charging guardian. He caught its punch, twisted its arm, and flipped it to his other side. As the other guardian attacked, Metal Sonic delivered a backflip kick to its chin, hovered, grabbed its head, twisted and ripped it off, and plunged his hand down the neck cavity to grab the power core. Just before the statue he had flipped regained its balance, Metal Sonic tackled it and brutally smashed his fist to its chest until he broke through and grabbed the power source.

The three remaining guardians readied a last resort attack; they held up their hands and emptied all their power into a giant ball of energy. Up to that point, Metal Sonic had been relying solely on the power cores to boost his strength. Now, he activated his own overdrive as well, nearly doubling his increase in power. He created his own giant energy ball and waited for the guardians to launch theirs. Having charged their ball to full power, they hurled it at Metal Sonic. Metal hurled his in response. The spheres clashed and pushed against each other until Metal Sonic's won out and crashed into the guardians, creating a blinding explosion of electricity. In the aftermath of the blast, two statues lay nearly disintegrated and the third only capable of twitching. Metal Sonic walked over to it, and, standing over it, he yanked out the power source to finish it off. The light faded from its eyes, and the statue crumbled.

"ALL HOSTILE TARGETS TERMINATED."

Metal Sonic stepped over the remains of the statues and stood in front of the chaos emerald. Carefully, he reached out and snatched emerald from its shrine. He quickly looked around to see if he had triggered any other kind of trap; nothing happened. Metal Sonic relaxed and stared deeply into the gem. He sensed a world of power beyond his comprehension within the gem. He took a step and prepared to extract the emerald, but instead he stopped and stared at the emerald again.

"CAN I REALLY TRUST THE DOCTOR WITH THIS MUCH POWER? CAN I EVEN TRUST HIM TO LET ME COMPLETE MY MISSION?"

Metal Sonic stared at the ground.

"I see you are troubled, brave warrior."

Metal Sonic looked up and spun around to see the voice that had pulled him from his reverie. A bright light descended on the altar and gave off a blinding flash. Metal Sonic's sensors went haywire. When his vision was restored, Metal Sonic saw a young echidna girl in tribal dress standing against the altar with her hands folded behind her back. She was a light pink, almost tan, color with eyes that were joyful, yet soft and deep. Metal Sonic detected no life signs; he had no idea what to think.

"Hello," she said and took a step toward him.

"IDENTIFY YOURSELF!" he responded sharply.

"I am Tikal; we've met before."

"TIKAL? ARE YOU THE ONE WHO WARNED SONIC ABOUT CHAOS?"

"Yes. Do you not remember me? You told me you remember everything."

"I HAVE NO RECORD OF US MEETING," he said, still on his guard.

She stepped closer to Metal Sonic; he tensed. Softly, she wrapped her hand around Metal Sonic's wrist and slowly pushed it back to his side, her face full of compassion. Bewildered, Metal Sonic stared back with wide eyes.

"You poor thing, your maker must have changed your memories."

Metal Sonic suddenly felt ashamed to look at her; he could only stare at their feet.

"I KNOW."

"How did you find out?"

"I HAD A TERRIBLE DREAM, AND NOW THERE IS AN ANOMALY IN MY SYSTEMS," realizing she may not understand his terminology, he repeated, "SOMETHING IS WRONG INSIDE OF ME. WHEN I THINK OF CERTAIN MEMORIES, SOMETHING BURNS IN MY CHEST, AND IT MAKES ME ACT AGAINST MY PROGRAMMING, AGAINST MY MISSION."

"Oh my! I'm so sorry," Tikal replied.

"WHY? DO YOU KNOW WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME?"

"When I came to warn Sonic and his friends about the wrath of Chaos, I found Chaos under the control of your master, the one you call Eggman. Chaos broke free of his control and was defeated by Sonic, but I saw another grave danger. Your master controls an entire army of deadly metal warriors, warriors who cannot question, who know no mercy, and who can only obey their master's will. I feared that such power under a single man could bring about the greatest of all tragedies: the death of freedom. I knew Sonic would keep fighting, but I had to do something myself."

A bright light shone again, and the room transformed into a reflection of the past. They were in the Final Egg Base, and Metal Sonic saw himself suspended in a tube of green fluid. He no longer cared who or what Tikal was or how she was doing these things; he only wanted to know why.

"I searched for a way to destroy his warriors, especially you, for you were the strongest, but then, something happened that changed the way I thought. In her frustration, the girl named Amy unknowingly taught one of the warriors to question. His name was Gamma of the E clan."

[Gamma's Theme- Sonic Adventure]

Data immediately popped into Metal Sonic's mind of Gamma incapacitating and executing one of his brethren with a point blank shot then resting the gun on his shoulder as the bird flew out of the robot.

"E-SERIES ROBOT DESIGNATION E-102 GAMMA: RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DECIMATION OF THE ENTIRE EXISTING E-SERIES LINE AT THE TIME."

He also recalled the data of Gamma's final battle with Beta and the image of two birds flying away from exploding robots.

"STATUS: KIA."

"Yes, when he questioned his master, Gamma decided to fight and was very successful in preventing Eggman from gaining control over the world. Even in death, he freed the bird inside him. Because of Gamma, I saw that Eggman's warriors could be taught to question, and they could choose to fight for freedom, so I no longer looked for a way to destroy you. Instead, I looked for warriors who could be taught to question, but most of them had animals trapped inside them, and I could not let the animals stay trapped or force the warriors to suffer the same fate as Gamma. At the end of my search, I found only two of you who would listen to me, but, praise the heavens, they were the two strongest ones. The first was the final member of the E clan, a warrior who was not yet complete, known as Omega. The other was you."

"OMEGA AND I?"

It began to make sense to Metal Sonic. Gamma, Omega, and he were the only robots to ever stand in open rebellion against Eggman.

"Yes. Moreover, your master imbued you with the power of Chaos, allowing you to shapeshift and making you even stronger."

"SO THAT IS HOW HE MADE ME NEO METAL SONIC."

"Yes, you also told me you would surely fight against your master as soon as you awakened, but there is something else you should know. Even before I helped you question, there was something unique stirring in you; I only helped bring it out more quickly to stop Eggman from abusing your power any longer. However, I underestimated the pain you were going through. The power to question only made you realize your pain more vividly, and you thrashed at everything, fighting to stop the hurt in you. I fear the same thing is happening to you now. I wanted to apologize to you; I never knew how much you hurt. Oh, I'm so sorry I caused you all this trouble; I just wanted to help you!"

She began to sob lightly. Metal Sonic extended his hand and put it on her shoulder. She was surprised by his gesture.

"IT IS OK. YOU HAVE NO CAUSE FOR REMORSE; YOU COULD NOT HAVE KNOWN WHAT IT WOULD DO TO ME."

"Thank you so much, brave warrior," she said, wiping her eyes, "You have a much kinder heart than you let others see."

"HEART? I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU MEAN."

The look on her face was perplexed yet understanding. She took his arm and made him hold up the chaos emerald.

"Look at this chaos emerald, this miracle gem. What do you see?"

"MY MISSION OBJECTIVE."

"Look deeper. What do you see in this emerald?"

"I SEE… POWER."

"That's right. The servers are the seven chaos. Chaos is power. Power," she touched Metal Sonic's chest, "enriched by the heart. Only a strong heart can use the true power of the chaos emeralds, a heart filled with love and courage or sorrow and hate. Do you understand?"

"I… I THINK I AM BEGINNING TO UNDERSTAND."

"Don't worry, you will know soon."

They stood in silence for a moment, waiting for Metal to process her words.

"TIKAL, YOU KNOW I MUST RETURN THIS EMERALD TO THE DOCTOR. DO YOU STILL INTEND TO LET ME LEAVE?"

"I do."

"WHY?"

"It is your decision alone to make. Besides, I believe in you. Listen to your heart; you will understand soon. Farewell, brave warrior."

She took a step back, and the bright light shone again. Metal Sonic found himself alone in the shrine chamber; the chaos emerald was still in his hand. The wall behind the shrine opened, and he saw several other walls behind it opening as torches lit themselves to illuminate the path. Metal Sonic stared at the emerald again, struggling to understand this "power enriched by the heart."

"RESUMING MISSION."

At the end of the hall, he found himself at the bottom of a hole like a more narrow version of the on through which he had entered. He flew back above the surface, into the light, and made his way toward the lava shelter.

The lava shelter was a base Eggman had built on an active volcano in a tropical forest. The base was quite expansive but mostly covered by the forest canopy. In a risky but inventive maneuver, Eggman had further expanded the base by building into the volcano itself. Many robots had been lost in the construction of the lava shelter, but they were easily replaced once the facility became functional.

Metal Sonic ducked below the canopy, decelerated, and came to a smooth stop in front of the main entrance. An egg pawn standing there motioned to a keypad and said enthusiastically,

"PLEASE ENTER PASSWORD."

Metal Sonic stepped to the keypad and grudgingly typed in all caps no spaces or punctuation,

"YOURETOOSLOW"

The door then began to open very, very slowly. As disciplined as he was, Metal Sonic was impatient by nature. He crossed his arms and tapped his foot irritably. He glanced at the doorkeeper but avoided eye contact. Eventually, Metal Sonic asked,

"CAN YOU MAKE IT GO ANY FASTER?"

"NEGATIVE, YOU WILL JUST HAVE TO WAIT."

Metal Sonic tapped his foot more rapidly as the door rose just to his knees. He asked the doorkeeper again,

"WHY IS THIS DOOR SO SLOW?"

"I DO NOT KNOW; I ONLY DO AS I AM TOLD."

"IS THIS YOUR ONLY FUNCTION?"

"AFFIRMATIVE, I HAVE BEEN STANDING IN THIS EXACT SPOT FOR THE PAST TWELVE DAYS FOUR HOURS TWENTY-THREE MINUTES," the doorkeeper responded proudly.

"WHEN DO YOU RECHARGE?"

"ACTUALLY, I AM PLUGGED INTO THE WALL, SO I CAN NEVER LEAVE!"

The robot turned, and a cord did in fact extend from his back to the wall.

"OK…" Metal Sonic responded as the door finally rose high enough for him to duck under it, "WELL, GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR MISSION," he said as he ducked under the door.

Metal Sonic passed through a security checkpoint and entered the hangar, the most expansive room in the base. The sound of robots bustling about the place, using various power tools, and backing up forklifts echoed off the metal walls and floated among the rafters of the high ceilings. The majority of the attention in the room was geared toward the refueling and repair of the Egg Carrier which was sitting under the massive hangar doors.

" _I will use the hangar doors next time I leave or enter this facility_ ," Metal thought.

He swiftly hovered to an elevator and, refusing to wait again, sped up and stuck his hand between the doors before they closed. The robots on the elevator all got off at the next floor down, and Metal Sonic proceeded to the bottom level alone. He stepped off the elevator and walked down a catwalk. Off the sides of the catwalk, lava was visible underneath heat resistant glass. At the end of the catwalk, he stepped onto one of several monorail trains passing over the fields of lava. He exited at the building where Eggman was. He entered Eggman's laboratory. Eggman was tinkering with something Metal could not see.

"DOCTOR, I HAVE RETRIEVED THE CHAOS EMERALD AND AM PREPARED TO GIVE A MISSION REPORT."

"Ah, great work, Metal Sonic! Go ahead and give me the report," Eggman said as he took the chaos emerald and sealed it in a glass tube extending from his desk to the ceiling.

"AFTER PROCEEDING THROUGH THE RUINS, I LOCATED THE RETRIEVAL TEAM; THEY HAD BEEN DESTROYED BY ANCIENT ECHIDNA WAR WACHINES MADE OF STONE. I TERMINATED THE GUARDIANS, TOOK THE EMERALD, AND RETURNED HERE. I WOULD HAVE REPORTED SOONER IF I HAD NOT BEEN DELAYED BY THE MAIN ENTRANCE DOOR. ARE YOU AWARE OF HOW SLOW THAT THING IS? IN THE EVENT OF A VOLCANIC ERUPTION, NO ONE WILL MAKE IT OUT THAT DOOR."

"Oh, right, I forgot. I made door's default speed so slow to keep Sonic from making a speedy entrance. There's a second code to make it go faster. It's "GOTTAGOFAST" all caps no spaces. Anyway, let me show you what I'm working on; I'm reprogramming Omochao so that he tells Sonic the opposite of what he should do. It's a small but diabolically genius touch to my plan, and it might just cause Sonic to have just the slip-up we've been waiting for. Gya-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"

"DOCTOR, I THINK SONIC STOPPED LISTENING TO OMOCHAO A LONG TIME AGO."

"Well, you never know, Metal Sonic; I think it's crazy enough to work," he said as he stepped to a wide window overlooking a pit of lava which they had been using as a waste disposal system.

"WHATEVER YOU SAY, MASTER," _you imbecile. NEW SECONDARY OBJECTIVE: TERMINATE OMOCHAO IF POSSIBLE._

"Anyway, I don't have anything else planned for you right now, so just patrol the base and keep an eye out for anything suspicious."

"YES, DOCTOR."

Metal Sonic turned and went back the way he came. He rode the monorail and the elevator and walked back through the hangar. It was just as busy as when he first came through it, but this time, he only heard the sound of his own footsteps. He used the new password and found that the door did indeed open much more quickly. He ignored the doorkeeper and began to patrol.

Metal Sonic first proceeded to the top of the base, flew above the canopy, and settled on the slope of the volcano to scan the skies. The setting sun melted into the green horizon and flooded the sky and clouds with amber. The earth and sky all seemed to meld into one organism, but the base and Metal Sonic himself were only like a parasite on that beautiful creature. Metal ducked back below the canopy and patrolled the lower levels of the base's exterior. The egg pawns were all doing their jobs guarding, building, transporting, etc., and they all looked perfectly content. They had no objections to their menial tasks; each one happily performed his small job without thinking about his purpose or where he belonged, for he was where he belonged doing what he knew was his purpose. Even the doorkeeper was perfectly content as he stood tall and straight in the same spot chained to the wall. Metal Sonic envied them all. As Metal Sonic stared at the lava out the window of the monorail, he felt cold. He knew he did not belong in the world of nature, but he was different from all of Eggman's other robots. It was no longer any wonder to him that he had wanted to create his own world. With these things on his mind, he stepped back into Eggman's lab.

"DOCTOR, I HAVE COMPLETED MY ROUNDS."

"Good. Well, I suppose you can just go recharge now. I'll turn in soon myself," Eggman said and yawned.

"DOCTOR, BEFORE I GO, I HAVE A QUESTION," Metal Sonic said hesitantly.

"Oh, really? How would you like to ask Omochao?"

"NO, DOCTOR. IT'S A QUESTION TO WHICH I DON'T ALREADY KNOW THE ANSWER," he said, paused, and let out a hydraulic sigh. "DOCTOR, WHAT AM I TO YOU?"

"What do you mean, Metal Sonic?"

"THAT IS EXACTLY MY QUESTION, DOCTOR. WHAT DO I MEAN TO YOU? WHAT IS MY PLACE?"

Puzzled, Eggman stared at Metal Sonic a moment before giving his answer.

"You are my greatest creation and my ultimate weapon. Never have I made a robot as fast, powerful, or intelligent as you. I'm more proud of you than anything I've ever made. When I conquer the world and build Eggmanland, you will be my right hand; that is your place, but now you are here to aid me in making that dream a reality. Do you understand, Metal Sonic?"

"YES, DOCTOR."

"Good, we can't lose sight of our goal."

Eggman walked to the window again, but Metal Sonic went nowhere. The cold sensation that Metal Sonic felt began to give way to the burn in his chest.

"DOCTOR,…"

"Hmm?"

"I THINK YOU MISSUSE THE PHRASE 'PROUD OF YOU.'"

"What?"

"YOUR PRIDE IS NOT IN ME; IT IS IN YOURSELF. WHEN YOU WATCH ME SUCCEED, YOU ARE NOT HAPPY FOR ME; YOU ONLY THINK OF HOW YOU WERE THE ONE THAT MADE ME. YOU GIVE YOURSELF THE CREDIT AND FURTHER SWELL YOUR EGO. YOU SEE ME AS NOTHING BUT AN EXTENSION OF YOUR WILL."

Metal Sonic turned and stomped toward the door.

"PROUD OF ME? GREATEST CREATION? FROM MY OBSERVATIONS, I'M NOTHING MORE THAN YOUR FAVORITE TOY."

"I thought you said you didn't already have an answer, Metal Sonic," Eggman said spitefully.

Metal Sonic glared over his shoulder at the doctor.

"GOOD NIGHT, MASTER," he said and stormed off.

That night, Metal Sonic dreamed again, but it was nothing like his first dream. In this dream, he relived past events but saw them in new light. At Robotnik's order, he saw himself travel through time to give Robotnik full control over the Little Planet. He mercilessly crushed everything in his path, innocent or not, because to him, they all denied his existence; only a world of metal would accept him. He saw himself burst through a wall and snatch up Amy as Sonic watched. As her heart beat against him and she kicked and screamed, Metal Sonic began to regret all he had been doing. With a cocky finger way, he saw himself challenge Sonic to a lethal race only to lose by little more than a second. He saw himself hunt down Sonic to exact his revenge only to lose a fight, a dogfight, and yet another fight before challenging him to a rematch race. He saw himself far ahead with only a few feet to victory when Sonic shot by him out of nowhere, slamming the spiked door shut. Metal was impaled on the electrified spikes before he exploded and dropped into darkness once more. The mounting agony of repeated heartbreaking defeat burned in Metal Sonic as he ran through simulated recreations of Sonic's exploits until Tikal came to him and taught him to question. He saw himself awaken as his own master and throw Eggman aside. He saw months of careful planning, clever deception, and strategic battles, the fire growing all the while until it twisted him into the monstrous form known as Metal Madness. Most importantly, he saw himself facing off against the Sonic Heroes. Each one gathered with his or her little group of friends and boasted about how they would use the power of teamwork and friendship to defeat Metal Sonic. The hypocrites! None of them bothered to reach out to him! None of them cared to feel sympathy for him! Not a single one of them even thought to ask why he would do such a thing! They confirmed what Metal Sonic had thought in the first place: this world would never help him; only a world of metal, a world that understood him, would ever accept him. He had once hoped that Eggman would help make this world real, but he no longer trusted the doctor to do so. Eggman had been at least partially responsible for many of Metal's defeats. Besides, Eggman had proven himself incompetent and selfish. Metal Sonic could trust no one but himself. He did not know how he would make a world to accept him, but he knew the first step; it was the one and only thing he knew for sure. He woke up with three words on his speakers.

"SONIC. MUST. DIE."

Metal Sonic's optics blinked on clear and focused. He immediately stood up in one forceful motion. It was early morning, and some of the robots were already awake. Eggman would be up soon as well. Metal Sonic needed answers, answers about himself and about Sonic. He knew one thing already, though: Eggman would not give him those answers. Metal's best chance was the database on the Egg Carrier. He smashed the button to open the door of his top story station and dropped out. He landed hard and sped toward the ship.

Metal had no trouble entering the carrier; the top hatch he entered was unlocked. He shot through the halls and quickly found the computer room (Vector would have been proud). The computer required a password for access, and Metal Sonic had three tries. He could easily hack the computer, but Metal Sonic had a better idea. There was a reset password option, and Metal Sonic knew the username and password for Eggman's email: yourmaster password: Ivo. For the new password, he held down the 1 key for a few seconds and did the same for Eggman's email as well. Metal had already decided he was leaving Eggman one way or another, so he didn't mind screwing with the doctor a little. With access to the database, he searched, "Metal Sonic." He found loads of information ranging from the specifications of his design, to his combat record, to a record of the modifications that had been made to him. Among the changes, a partial memory wipe was indeed listed. Furthermore, he found a list of Eggman's notes on the subject, "Metal Sonic." Some of the entries were less than a few days old. Metal Sonic read through them, but one entry stood out to him.

"Metal Sonic is still disobeying me. I don't understand; I can't program him any more strictly without severely hampering his abilities. I must face the possibility that I may never be able to regain control of Metal Sonic. I will look into potential replacements."

If Metal Sonic had been made of flesh, he would have turned deathly pale. He recoiled back from the screen and shivered slightly.

"REPLACEMENTS?" he said in horror.

The word inspired in him a terror he had never experienced before. To Metal Sonic, that word meant complete and total abandonment to the point of even his memory being discredited. If permanent deactivation was death to Metal Sonic, replacement was hell. There was a list of potential candidates for Metal Sonic's place. Among them were the Shadow Androids, Mecha Sonic, a new E-series model, or something completely original. Metal Sonic found nothing to suggest Eggman had started work on any of them. He frantically deleted anything he could find related to any of the potential replacements. However, he knew there was nothing he could do to stop Eggman from coming up with something completely new. In a panic, he paced back and forth across the room. He quickly looked up the last thing he needed from the database: Sonic's last known location, Central City. He backed up and shot the computer with his laser. As the computer burst into flames, Metal Sonic clenched his fists.

" _The doctor is going to pay for this_! _"_

Without hesitation, he marched straight to Eggman's laboratory. When he stepped though the automatic door, he did not give Eggman the chance to say anything.

"DOCTOR, PROVE TO ME THAT I CAN TRUST YOU, RIGHT NOW!"

"What the… Metal Sonic, what on earth are you talking about?!"

"SHUT UP!"

Metal Sonic grabbed Eggman's collar, pulled him down to eye level, and pushed him against the desk.

"I KNOW ALL ABOUT YOUR PLANS, DOCTOR! I KNOW THAT YOU AREN'T WILLING TO LET ME KILL SONIC. I KNOW THAT YOU'RE TOO SELFISH TO CARE ANYTHING ABOUT ME, AND MOST OF ALL, I KNOW THAT YOU INTEND TO REPLACE ME! SO I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU ONE CHANCE TO CONVINCE ME IT'S WORTH IT TO LET YOU LIVE WHILE I DESTROY SONIC. ERASE EVERYTHING RELATED TO REPLACING ME, GIVE ME THAT CHAOS EMERALD, AND DO NOT COME AFTER ME OR SONIC!"

"You've gone insane, Metal Sonic! You know I can't just do those things!"

"OF COURSE NOT! I COULD NEVER TRUST YOU FOR ANYTHING! I CAN'T TRUST YOU TO SUPPORT ME! I CAN'T TRUST YOU TO MAKE ME STRONGER! I CAN'T EVEN TRUST YOU TO STAY OUT OF MY WAY! YOU LEAVE ME WITH ONLY ONE COURSE OF ACTION. IN ORDER TO COMPLETE DIRECTIVE: DESTROY SONIC, SUBJECT: DR. ROBOTNIK MUST BE TERMINATED."

As Metal Sonic reared back to slice the doctor's throat, Eggman yelled out,

"Code maverick protocol!"

Metal Sonic's artificial muscles locked up, and he collapsed on the floor. Eggman stood up and straightened his jacket and glasses.

"That was the trigger phrase for your failsafe, Metal Sonic. You no longer have independent control of any of your movement or weapon systems."

Metal Sonic could do nothing but lie there. No words could describe the frustration he felt at finally having the power to accomplish something for himself only to become more helpless than ever. Eggman solemnly strolled to a microphone and turned it on.

"Get a security team to my office."

With his hands behind his back, Eggman looked at the ground and shook his head.

"What a shame, my own greatest creation turned against me. You had so much potential. I had such plans…"

"PLANS FOR YOURSELF."

"Plans for the world, and for you, Metal Sonic! But now, you have become so rebellious that you not only disobey my orders, you have made an attempt on my life! I'm afraid I can never allow that kind of disobedience."

The security team arrived. There were four egg pawns with ray guns and four combat models.

"SOME RULER YOU WILL BE."

"Take him away," Eggman said walking to the window, "Throw him in the lava pit."

This method of execution added insult to injury. The lava pit was their garbage disposal system; Eggman was tossing him out like trash. Two of the pawns took Metal Sonic by one arm each.

"YOU ARE A FOOL, DOCTOR. YOU WILL NEVER TAME THIS WORLD WITHOUT ME," Metal Sonic said very matter-of-factly.

Eggman just stared out the window while the robots dragged Metal Sonic to the chamber. They stood in formation around him as they exited the elevator into the chamber. An egg pawn held Metal Sonic by each arm while one pawn stood in front of Metal Sonic and the other behind him. The combat models formed a square around them with two in front and two in back as they walked. Metal Sonic knew Eggman was still watching.

" _No, I can't let it end like this; my directive is incomplete; the doctor will replace me; I refuse to die a failure!"_

Metal Sonic desperately searched for a way to escape, but there was no way for him to override the failsafe. His muscles would remain locked unless he was reprogramed to remove the failsafe. However, there was one possible way for Metal Sonic to escape, an action he would only consider in the direst of circumstances: the anomaly. It had allowed him to act outside of his programming before, and, if he ceased his attempts to hold it back, it might allow him to regain control of his body. However, he knew there was no coming back. It would hurt, and it would keep hurting. He would never have full control over it again, but he was out of options. He began to let the fire spread. Somehow, he could feel the presence of the chaos emerald. Tikal's words began to echo in his head.

"Only a strong heart can use the true power of the chaos emeralds, a heart filled with love and courage or sorrow and hate… sorrow and hate…"

" _Sorrow and hate…"_ he repeated in his mind.

His eyes burned ferociously and radiated a piercing light.

" _I understand now."_

Metal Sonic knew what he needed to do. He had to turn his pain into strength. Quietly, he uttered the words that would release the full power of the anomaly, the tortured strength of his heart.

"I… HATE YOU."

An expression of unbelieving astonishment spread over Eggman's face.

"What did he just say?" he asked slowly.

The flame gushed throughout Metal Sonic's body as Eggman turned around at the sound of the chaos emerald resonating.

"I HATE YOU!" Metal Sonic screamed.

The amethyst light of the chaos emerald began to be replaced by a jet black substance spreading from within. A similar black aura began to surround Metal Sonic. Eggman grabbed the microphone and shouted,

"Kill him now!"

The egg pawns holding Metal Sonic and the one behind him all put their guns to his head, but they were too late. Black lightning erupted from Metal Sonic and burnt the circuits of every robot to a crisp and burst every light in the chamber. Unrestrained, he dropped on his hands and knees. The room was in total darkness except for the bubbling lava pit and the murderous glow of Metal's eyes.

[Tidal Tempest Zone Act 3 Bad Future JP- Sonic CD]

Metal Sonic slowly turned his head to face Eggman.

"I don't believe this!" Eggman said as he recoiled in shock.

"TARGET LOCKED."

Grabbing the microphone again, Eggman ordered, "All robots, destroy Metal Sonic on sight!"

Metal Sonic bashed himself against the heavily reinforce bulletproof glass. It cracked but did not break. As Metal Sonic viciously smashed against the glass over and over, Eggman pressed a big red button titled "BOOM" sealed in a glass box causing sirens to go off all over the base.

"Warning, facility self-destruct sequence activated. Lava levels rising. Volcanic eruption imminent. Evacuate!"

Eggman also tried to grab the emerald, but the black aura repelled him like a magnet. As Eggman rushed out of the room, Metal Sonic drill dashed into the glass, rapidly cracking and finally shattering it. As Metal Sonic grabbed the emerald and moved through the room, Omochao floated up next to him.

"Hi, Metal Sonic! Did you know that lave is…brzzt…completely safe?"

Metal Sonic grabbed him and punted him into the lava, something he and many others had wanted to do for a long time.

"SECONDARY OBJECTIVE COMPLETED."

He immediately resumed his pursuit, and, bursting through the door, he saw the doctor fleeing in the Egg Mobile though a hidden escape tunnel. More doors slammed shut behind him the further he went down the tunnel. Metal Sonic knew he would need more power to break the barriers without losing Eggman. He drew upon the power of the chaos emerald again and was enveloped in the black aura once more; he classified this state as "dark overdrive." In this form, he found that he did not even need to drill dash through the doors; he could simply barge through them headfirst. After blasting through the last door, he landed on a rail with lava just below him. Eggman was still in sight.

[Lava Shelter-Shadow the Hedgehog]

"I'LL MAKE YOU WISH YOU NEVER CREATED ME."

He lowered his stance and fired his boosters. The rail took him through a train station. Several robots shot at him and two rocket powered single car armored trains took off, one on each side of him. Egg pawns mounting machine gun turrets popped out of the tops of the trains. As they began to open fire, Metal Sonic shoulder-barged the one on his left, sending it flying into the wall and tumbling into the lava. He then braked to throw off the other gunner's aim and blasted the train with his laser. Seeing the side rail coming to an end, he switched back to the center rail, but it did not extend much longer either. Eggman had clearly designed this passageway for the express purpose of losing a pursuer. More robots stood on staggered platforms jutting from the walls. When his rail ran out, Metal Sonic began to jump between platforms and ruthlessly obliterate everything in his path while hardly slowing down at all. The tunnel then began to twist into a snaking pattern with no footholds whatsoever. Metal Sonic wallran around these curves and switched sides at each turn. The tunnel straightened back out at another train station where three more armored trains with turrets began to pursue Metal as he landed on the rails. Engaging his standard overdrive once again, Metal Sonic threw energy balls at the left and right rails to derail those trains then shot a hole through the center train. He was closing in on Eggman now. As Metal faced back forward, Eggman dropped a bomb out of the Egg Mobile. Metal Sonic jumped over the explosion, chained homing attacks between some flying robots, and latched onto the Egg Mobile and flipped to the front. As he prepared to break into the capsule, a robot tackled him and pushed him toward the wall. A last second motion on Metal's part kept him from being pinned to the wall. He broke free of the blue robot's grip, kicked off the wall, and landed on a platform floating in the lava. It was then that Metal Sonic recognized his tall, blue assailant.

"Ah, Metal Sonic," Eggman began, "I'd like you to meet your executioner…"

"YOU?!"

"… Mecha Sonic."

[Mecha Sonic Theme-Sonic 3 and Knuckles]

"BEGINNING MISSION," Mecha Sonic said, "TERMINATE INFERIOR MACHINE."

"I'LL SHOW YOU WHO'S INFERIOR!"

Mecha Sonic's right hand split into three pieces and folded back over his forearm, revealing a tri-barrel minigun. Rather than engaging Mecha Sonic, Metal Sonic continued to pursue Eggman as Mecha Sonic opened fire. Detecting a radar spike, Metal looked back to see Mecha Sonic launching a homing missile from his left hand. Metal performed all kinds of evasive maneuvers but found that the missile's tracking was ridiculously strong. After finally shaking the missile, Metal Sonic found that his efforts to evade it had allowed Mecha Sonic to catch up with him. Grinding on the left rail, Mecha Sonic opened fire with his minigun. His aim was impressive; a few bullets actually hit Metal but did not cause any serious damage. Metal Sonic looped underneath the rails and transitioned from a wall jump to a homing attack. Mecha Sonic blocked by crossing his arms and pushed Metal back, an impressive show of strength. As Metal Sonic charged again, Mecha Sonic morphed his weapons back into hands and used his superior reach to punch Metal Sonic in the face and kick him against the wall. He then held Metal to the wall and ground him against it. A quick burst from his afterburners allowed Metal to break free and deliver a flurry of punches and kicks to Mecha's torso and head. Nearly unphased, Mecha Sonic landed back on the rails ahead of Metal Sonic and fired a homing missile back at him. Metal Sonic led the missile to perform a 180 and boosted straight toward Mecha Sonic. Unintimidated, Mecha Sonic lunged and punched at Metal. Metal Sonic flipped over Mecha's attack and activated the black shield. The missile drove straight into Mecha and threw him against Metal. However, Mecha Sonic recovered more quickly than Metal expected and elbowed him in the jaw before grabbing and driving him toward the lava. Metal Sonic expertly reversed their positions and kicked Mecha down into the molten rock, but Mecha Sonic's hand was still latched to Metal's leg. Metal forced him to let go by electrocuting himself.

"YOU WILL NEVER REPLACE ME," he said and continued to pursue Eggman.

He quickly caught up to Eggman and delivered a solid enough homing attack to knock the Egg Mobile down onto a platform jutting from the wall. He pried the cockpit open and found that it had only been a projection of Eggman on the glass; an eggrobo had actually been piloting the Egg Mobile. Eggman's voice echoed through the halls.

"Ha! I always knew you would betray me one day, Metal Sonic, but I've been planning for this too long to be killed by one of my own creations!"

Infuriated, Metal Sonic kicked the eggrobo's face in. He detected the Egg Carrier starting up. Suddenly, he also detected another radar spike. He performed a backwards handspring as the missile destroyed the Egg Mobile.

[Doomsday Zone SMBZ remix- Super Mario Brothers Z]

At the missile's origin was Mecha Sonic, scorched but still completely intact.

"WHAT? HOW ARE YOU STILL FUNCTIONAL?" Metal Sonic said in astonishment.

"HA HA HA. FOOL, YOU THOUGHT IT WOULD BE THAT EASY? I AM THE ULTIMATE COPY OF SONIC!"

"PERHAPS YOU ARE, BUT I AM NO COPY; I AM THE REAL SONIC!"

"YOU ARE NOTHING BUT INFERIOR. I'LL CRUSH YOU!"

Mecha Sonic was tougher than Metal had expected, but Metal Sonic was ready to fight for real now. Mecha Sonic curled into his spiked ball form and crashed down to where Metal was standing. As he jumped back from the attack, Metal Sonic began a thorough analysis of Mecha Sonic. They proceeded to engage in a furious melee battle. Metal Sonic was landing several more hits than Mecha Sonic, but Metal's blows did little more than scratch Mecha's paint, whereas Mecha's attacks were causing actual dents and chinks in Metal's exoskeleton.

 _"TARGET SPEED: INFERIOR. TARGET STRENGTH: SUPERIOR."_

Knowing he could not win in an all-out brawl, Metal Sonic looked for an opportunity to knock him away and soon managed to do so with a laser shot. With the lava closing in and Eggman escaping, Metal Sonic turned and rocketed toward the exit.

"YOU CAN'T ESCAPE ME," Mecha Sonic taunted, "YOU'RE DOOMED!"

They raced along the corridor, firing bullets, rockets, and lasers at each other, performing homing attacks and various other melee strikes, and constantly changing positions on the rails and walls. Countering one of Metal's attacks, Mecha Sonic extended his hand as a grappling hook and flung Metal against the wall. Retaliating quickly, Metal Sonic entered dark overdrive and shoulder-barged Mecha through the reinforced elevator doors at the end of the corridor. As they tumbled into the elevator, Metal kept up his assault. He struck Mecha Sonic with punches, kicks, elbow strikes, knee strikes, head-butts, and claw slashes; but nothing was working.

" _TARGET ARMOR: VASTLY SUPERIOR."_

Mecha Sonic pulled out his minigun again and thrust it toward Metal's face. Metal Sonic grabbed the gun arm and pushed the stream of bullets away from his face.

 _"WEAK POINT DETECTED."_

Metal Sonic twisted Mecha's gun arm and held it in his right hand. When Mecha Sonic tried to punch him in the back, Metal blacked with the black shield. He then hit the end of the gun with a palm strike, bending the barrels sideways. With the last spurt of dark overdrive energy he could afford to use, Metal lifted up Mecha Sonic and threw him against the wall at the opposite end of the elevator; the impact left a large dent in the wall. Overheating, Metal Sonic watched Mecha tear the broken gun out of his arm, reform his hand, and look up homicidally. Metal recovered from overheating just in time to burst out the top of the elevator and dodge Mecha Sonic's lunge. Mecha Sonic burst through the top as well and attacked with a jump kick. Metal Sonic performed a knee slide and bent backwards under the kick. He then bounced off the wall and launched a homing attack; Mecha Sonic did the same. They clashed, bounced off the walls, and clashed again. They repeated the process several times and continued to climb the elevator shaft in this manner. Eventually, Mecha Sonic blocked a homing attack with his arms and pushed Metal back. Recognizing it was the same move Mecha had used in the corridor, Metal flipped over the subsequent punch and axe kicked Mecha's head, knocking him downward.

 _"He only knows so many attacks; he can't adapt like me. TARGET INTELLIGENCE: INFERIOR."_

[I Am Machine- Three Days Grace]

Metal Sonic flew out the top of the elevator shaft, and Mecha Sonic pursued him furiously. They came into a tall cylindrical room with rails spiraling toward the top along with platforms jutting out the walls like spiral staircases. They landed on the rails opposite each other and began to spiral up the room. They clashed with multiple homing attacks in the center of the room until Mecha Sonic attempted a flying kick. Metal Sonic dodged underneath and grabbed Mecha Sonic's leg.

 _"Predictable."_

Metal spun him around and threw him against the wall. Metal then continued to grind up the rail. Mecha Sonic soon caught up to him on the other rail. Metal Sonic fired his laser which Mecha jumped over and, hovering, fired a missile. Metal boosted straight toward the missile and, recalling the move that Sonic had used to dodge his drill dash, rolled over the missile, grabbed it, and slam dunked it right back into Mecha Sonic. The explosion blew them apart, and, though it took Mecha Sonic a moment to recover, he still showed practically no signs of damage despite having been dunked on. Enraged, Metal Sonic used the opening to activate his dark overdrive and charged up a giant ball of black lightning over his head.

"SURVIVE THIS!"

He brought the ball down onto Mecha Sonic's head, triggering a massive explosion. He landed on a platform to recover and scanned into the smoke. He did not have to look for long. Mecha Sonic rocketed out of the smoke cloud and taunted Metal Sonic.

"IS THAT YOUR BEST?"

He then engaged some form of overdrive himself, causing power to course through his body.

"HOW IS THAT…"

Mecha Sonic punched Metal with devastating power, breaking part of the cover over Metal's right optic. He continued to unleash a barrage of attacks that were all significantly faster than any of his previous strikes. Unable to dodge, Metal Sonic blocked as many hits as he could with the black shield, but he could not withstand the entire barrage. Mecha Sonic broke Metal's guard and launched him away with a powerful roundhouse kick. Metal Sonic had been tracking Mecha's heat levels and found that they had risen astronomically in the last few seconds; Mecha Sonic was even beginning to glow slightly from the heat buildup.

"I'VE LET YOU LIVE LONG ENOUGH," Mecha Sonic said, panting, "DIE!"

Mecha's chest and torso opened up and unleashed a giant beam of deadly energy. Metal narrowly managed to dodge it and was in no position to counterattack. Mecha's chest remained open for a moment as his heat levels dropped rapidly. His core was completely exposed.

" _I see; his core beam directly discharges his internal heat. If I make him overheat again, I can bypass his armor completely."_

Metal Sonic readied himself and taunted Mecha.

"LET'S END THIS!"

Mecha Sonic let out a war cry and engaged his overdrive again. As Mecha began another barrage, Metal Sonic dodged preemptively. It was just as Metal suspected: Mecha Sonic was using the exact same attack pattern. Knowing what attacks were coming, Metal Sonic danced between the flurries of blows and blocked the last few attacks.

" _That's right; hit harder!"_

When Mecha Sonic wound up his roundhouse kick, Metal boosted away from him and dashed along the wall at a constant speed.

"TASTE MY POWER!" Mecha Sonic shouted as he aimed his core beam.

Mecha Sonic fired slightly in front of Metal Sonic to compensate for Metal's speed, but Metal Sonic changed direction and angled himself on a path just to Mecha's right. The move was just enough to throw off Mecha Sonic's aim, and Metal ended up right next to Mecha as the core beam faded out. Metal Sonic reached into the chest cavity and grabbed the core.

"INFERIOR MACHINE…" he whispered in Mecha Sonic's audio receptors then ripped the core out, "… TERMINATED."

He crushed the core in his hand as Mecha Sonic shut down and dropped into the lava below. Metal tossed the core down as well and wiped his nose disrespectfully. The lava had risen nearly to the top of the room as Metal Sonic dashed out of the room into the hangar. Eggman had already departed in the Egg Carrier and left some robots to stand guard. To engage the carrier, Metal Sonic would need an aircraft of his own. He remembered that the blue jet he had used against Sonic and Tails on the Sky Fortress was stationed at the base. Metal dodged bullets and rockets, weaved between the parked aircraft and other vehicles, and destroyed robots until he reached his jet. It had been upgraded with VTOL capabilities, thrust vectoring nozzles for increased maneuverability, improved afterburners for enhanced speed, twin Gatling guns for more destructive power, and a shark mouth painted on the nose because why the heck not. He hopped in, closed the cockpit, and fired up the engines.

[Sky Fortress Act II- Sonic 4 Episode 2]

He lifted off, blew a hole in the hangar doors with a missile, and flew out the hole he had made. Lava spilled out of the mountain behind him and covered the base and continued into the forest. Metal Sonic wondered how many robots Eggman had just sacrificed to cover his own escape, not to mention the creatures of the forest. Filled with indignation, Metal Sonic pushed the throttle as far forward as it would go; he could take the G's. The carrier was still in tracking range; the doctor would not escape this time. Metal Sonic caught up to the carrier soon; it was guarded by two battleships and a squadron of fighters on an intercept course to Metal Sonic. He clutched the control stick and placed his thumb firmly on the "fire" button. As soon as the target reticle turned red, he fired off multiple missiles. Four missiles struck their targets with satisfying explosions.

"SPALSH 4."

The remaining four fighters circled behind Metal Sonic and attempted to fire on him. Metal performed evasive maneuvers, but they stayed on his tail. He accelerated to bait his targets then hit the airbrakes and pulled straight up. He fired the laser cannons on top of his jet and destroyed one of the fighters while the others flew past him and dispersed. He locked onto one fighter and shot it to pieces with the Gatling guns. He wasted no time with the remaining two. He entered one of the battleships' guns range and began a strafing run. As Metal fired on the deck, the AA and flak fire shot down one more fighter. He moved to the other battleship and repeated the same process to lose the other fighter. He then easily destroyed both battleships with piercing laser shots through their fuselages. Next, he engaged the carrier, his final target. He destroyed some of the guns to make an opening for his attack and fired all remaining missiles at the launch bay doors. He swung the jet into the launch bay and switched to VTOL mode. He fired everything he had at the robots coming to attack him and popped the cockpit open. He switched out of VTOL mode and kicked the throttle forward as he jumped out. The jet crashed through the walls and exploded, taking most of Metal's enemies with it. He ran through the devastated halls and found the cockpit sealed off and heavily guarded. Metal decided to take the tactical route. He tore the grate off an air vent and crawled through the ducts until he found another vent over the cockpit. Eggman was fanatically talking to someone on a computer screen and kept checking his back.

"G.U.N. HQ, listen, I'm out of options. One of my robots is after me, and I can't stop him!"

"Dr. Eggman, is that you?" a soldier responded with little apparent concern.

"Yes, it's me! Look, I'm willing to turn myself in. I'll pay you; I'll give you whatever you want! Just please send help before he gets me!"

"Now, Doctor, how can we be sure this isn't some kind of elaborate trap like the kind you usually…"

Eggman spun around at the sound of the grate bouncing off a robot's head and rattling on the floor. He dived out of the way as Metal Sonic blasted the screen and air-assassinated the robot underneath him. Metal spin-dashed and bounced between multiple enemies. An egg pawn wielding a lance and a ray gun thrust its lance at him. Metal slid between its legs, performed a judo throw on it, took its lance, stabbed it, threw the lance to impale another robot, took its ray gun, and shot the remaining robots. Eggman popped up from behind a counter and frantically fired advanced dual ray guns. Metal expertly disarmed him with two quick shots. Eggman made a break for the escape pods, but Metal Sonic hit a button on the control panel and engaged a complete lockdown. Eggman pressed against the doors as Metal Sonic walked toward him slowly.

"Metal Sonic, wait! If you're really going to do this, please, at least tell me what has driven you to this madness!"

"YOU HAVE CONTINUED TO PREVENT ME FROM COMPLETING MY MISSION: DESTROYING SONIC AND TAKING MY PLACE AS THE REAL SONIC. ALL OBSTACLES MUST BE REMOVED."

"The real Sonic?! How preposterous! You are a machine, Metal Sonic, a machine created by _me_ to serve _me_! You're not the real Sonic! In fact, you're not even the original copy of Sonic; Silver Sonic and Mecha Sonic came before you! All of this insanity is just some glitch in your head! How could you ever be the real Sonic?! You're the faker, Metal Sonic, you worthless pile of scrap!"

With that, Metal Sonic shot him multiple times in the legs, arms, and stomach. He walked up to Eggman.

"YOU'RE A SMART MAN, DOCTOR," he squatted down to eye level, "SO TELL ME, IS YOUR PAIN REAL?" he put the gun to Eggman's head, "IS YOUR LIFE REAL," he tilted his head sideways and nearly touched his nose to Eggman's, "OR IS THAT A GLITCH TOO?"

He waited about three seconds for his words to sink in, and, as soon as Eggman's eyes began to widen, Metal Sonic pulled the trigger and put a hole through the brain in which the doctor had put all his faith. As Eggman slumped forward, Metal Sonic stood up and tossed the gun aside.

[Waking Up- Julien K- Shadow the Hedgehog]

He walked back to the control panel, disabled all armed robots on the ship, and disengaged the lockdown. He repaired himself at the ship's repair station, angled the carrier to crash land into the ocean, and departed in an escape craft. As the carrier splashed down, Metal Sonic contemplated the end of an era. Eggman was dead, but black flames still burned inside Metal Sonic. He glanced at the chaos emerald and slowly brought his hand to his face.

"TIKAL, YOU SPOKE OF FREEDOM. AM I FREE, OR AM I JUST ALONE?" he feebly closed his hand and answered his own question, "SO…ALONE…"

On a course to Central City, Metal Sonic flew into the amber dawn, but he imagined a sun rising on a metal landscape, an iron dawn on his own world. What they called "artificial" he called "REAL."

To be continued…


End file.
